For the last six years IBM has been selling the N series gateway and
it has been a great tool to add file based protocols to traditional
block storage. A gateway takes luns from the SAN storage and overlays
its own operating system. One of the 'gotchas' with the gateway is the
storage has to be net new, meaning it can not take an existing lun that
has data and present that to another device.

Traditionally the gateway was used to put in front of older storage to
refit the old technology with new features. In the case of N series, a
gateway would be able to add features like snapshots, deduplication and
replication. In the past few years, we have added the option to use both
external and internal disk to a gateway system. The only caveat to
this solution is you have to order the gateway license when the system
is initially ordered. A filer can not be changed into a gateway system.
Another solution that we see in the field is when a customer is looking
to purchase a new system and most of the requirement is SAN based and
only a small portion is NAS. Putting a gateway in front of a XIV became
a very popular solution for many years and still is today. IBM did
release the SONAS platform that can be used as a NAS gateway in front of
the V7000, SVC, and XIV.

I have seen some architects that wanted to use a gateway in an all NAS
solution for new disks. This only complicates the solution by having to
add switches and multiple operating systems. If we look at
virtualization of storage, the gold standard has been the SAN Volume
Controller (SVC). This system can take new or existing luns from other
storage systems and presents them as a lun to another host. This data
can be moved from one storage system to another without bringing the lun
offline. The IBM V7000 also has this virtualization feature as the
code base for both systems are the same. The cool feature that IBM has
added to the V7000 is now the system has the ability to do NAS and SAN
protocols. This now competes in the same space as the EMC VNX and
Netapp FAS systems. The virtualization in the SVC code is somewhat
similar to the gateway code in the N series. They both can virtualuze
the lun from another storage platform. If you need to keep the data
that is on the older system intact, then a SVC device is needed. I
would also mention that the movement of data between storage systems is
much easier with the SVC. I would also mention the N series gateway has
more functionality like deduplication and easy replication than the
SVC. Finally, the SVC code was built by IBM to sit on top of
complicated SAN environments. Its robust nature is complimented with an
easier to use gui from the XIV platform. The N series gateway is
somewhat easier to setup but is not to be used for large complicated SAN
environments. Both systems are good at what they do, and people try
to compare them in the same manner. I would tell them, Yes they both
virtualize storage but are used in a different manner.

Some years ago I put together a list of reasons why people
choose to buy from IBM rather than purchase directly from Netapp.IBM has an OEM agreement with Netapp and
rebrands the FAS and V-series as their N series product line.They are both made at the same plant and the
only difference between them is the front bezel.You can even take a Netapp bezel off and
stick it on an N series box and it fits exactly.

The Software is the same exactly.All we change is the logos and readme
files.The entire functionality of the
product is exactly the same.IBM does
not add or take away any of the features built into the systems.The only difference is it takes IBM about 90
days once Netapp releases a product to get it put online and change the
necessary documents.

Support for N series is done both at IBM and Netapp.Much like our other OEM partners, they stand
behind IBM as the developers and IBM handles the issues.Customers still call the same 1.800.IBM.SERV
for support and speak to trained engineers who have been working on N series
equipment for 6+ years now.IBM actually
has lower turn over than Netapp in their support division and has won awards
for providing top-notch support.The
call home features that most people are used to still go to Netapp via IBM
servers.

10.The IBM customer
engineer (CE) that is working with you today will be the same person who helps
you with the IBM N series system.

9.IBM GBS team can
provide consultation, installation and even administration of your environment.

8.IBM is able to
provide financing for clients.

7.When you purchase
your N series system from IBM, you can bundle it with servers, switches, other
storage and software.This gives you one
bill, one place to go to if you need anything and one support number to call.

6.IBM has two other
support offerings to help our clients, Our Supportline offering allows
customers to call in and ask installation or configuration questions.We also have an Enhanced Technical Support
(ETS) team that will assign a personal engineer that will know everything about
your environment and will provide you with everything you need.They will help you with health checks to be
sure the system is running optimally, updates on the latest technology and
single point of contact in case you need to speak to someone immediately.

5.IBM N series
warranty support is done by IBM technicians and engineers at Level 1 and Level
2.If your issue can not be resolved by
our Level 2 team they have a hotline into the Netapp Top Enterprise Account
team.This is a team only a few very
large Netapp accounts can afford and we provide this support to ALL of the IBM
N series accounts no matter how large or small.

4.Our support teams
from different platforms (X series, Power, TSM, DS, XiV, etc) all interact with
another and when tough issues come up we are able to scale to the size of the
issue.We can bring in experts that know
the SAN, Storage, Servers, and Software all under one umbrella.With those tough cases we assign a
coordinator to make sure the client does not have to call all of these
resources themselves.This person can
reach out to all the teams, assigns duties and will coordinate calls with you
the customer.

3.All IBM N series
Hardware and Software undergoes an Open Source Committee who validates there
are no violations, copy right infringements or patent infringements.

2.All IBM N series
Hardware and Software is tested in our Tucson
testing facility for interoperability.We have a team of distinguished engineers who not only support N series
but other hardware and software platforms within in the IBM portfolio.

1.All IBM N series
equipment comes with a standard 3 year warranty for both Hardware and
Software.This warranty can be extended
beyond the three years as IBM supports equipment well beyond the normal 3-5
years of a system.

When it gets down to it, customers buy because they
happy.Since the systems are exactly the
same it comes down to what makes them happy.For some, the Netapp offering makes them happy because they like their
sales engineer, for others they like IBM because they have been doing business
with us for over 30 years.

For more information about IBM N series, check out our
landing page on http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/storage/network/

Redbooks are a great way of learning a new technology or a reference
for configuration. I have used them for years not just in storage but
for X series servers and for software like TSM. The people that write
the books spend a great deal of time putting them together and I believe
most of them are written by volunteers.

This is the third edition of this Redbook and if you have read this before here are some of the changes:

Updated information:

-Latest N series model and feature information.

-Updated the IBM Redbook to reflect VMware vSphere 4.1 environments

New information:

-Information for Virtual Storage Console 2.x has been added

This book on N series and VMware goes through the introduction of
both the N series systems and VMware vSphere. There are sections on
installing the systems, deploying the LUNs and recovery. After going
through this Redbook, you will have a better understanding of a complete
and protected VMware system. If you need help with how to size your
hardware there is a section for you. If you are looking to test how to
run VMs over NFS, its in there too!

One of the biggest issues with virtual systems is making sure you
have proper alignment between the system block and the storage array.
This will negatively impact the system by a factor of 2 in most random
reads/writes as two blocks will be required for one request. To avoid
this costly mistake or to correct VMs you have already setup a section
in the book called Partition alignment walks you through the entire
process of correctly setting the alignment or fixing the older systems
correctly.

Another area that I will point out is the use of deduplication,
compression and cloning to drive the efficiency of the storage higher.
These software features allow customers to store more systems on the
storage array than if they used traditional hard drives. Also there is
how to use snapshots for cloning, mirrors for Site Recovery Manager and
long term storage aka Snapvaults. At the end of the book are some
examples of scripts one might use for snapshots in hot backup modes.

Whether you are a seasoned veteran or newbie to the VMware scene,
there is a great guide that will help you from start to finish setting
up your vSphere environment. The information is there, use the search
feature or sit down on a Friday with a high-lighter, which ever fits
your style and learn a little about using a N series system with VMware.